Ultrasound as a method of contraception for the man?

Ultrasound treatments as a contraceptive method of the future?

31.01.2012

US researchers may have discovered a new method of contraception for men. An ultrasound treatment can significantly reduce the number of sperm - at least in rat males.

Ultrasound, according to US scientists at the University of North Carolina in the online pre-edition of the journal „Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology“ may be used as a male contraceptive in the future. In their experiments, reproductive biologist James Tsuruta and colleagues ultrasonographically treated the rat male testicles, causing the number of spermatocytes and spermatids to decline, resulting in a similar reduction in human infertility.

Ultrasound treatment causes reduction of sperm
By treating the testes of anesthetized rats with ultrasound at an intensity of three megahertz and 2.2 watts per square centimeter over a period of fifteen minutes, the sperm count of the animals was significantly reduced, the US researchers report. According to James Tsuruta and colleagues, the ultrasound treatment corresponds to the ultrasound waves occasionally used by human physicians to combat muscular discomfort. The reduction in sperm was most pronounced when the 15-minute treatment was repeated after two days while maintaining a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, the US scientists continue.

Ultrasound contraceptive method applicable to humans?
The scientists hope that the ultrasound treatment can be used in the future as a new method of contraception in pets and may possibly be transmitted to humans. After the treatment described, the male rat had produced so few sperm for up to two weeks that it would probably have led to infertility in humans, the authors said. However, as rats remain fertile even with very few intact spermatozoa, the animals in the trial were able to reproduce despite the reduction in their sperm count, reports James Tsuruta and colleagues.

Possibilities of ultrasound prevention
The scientists received $ 100,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation last year to fund further research into ultrasound as a male contraceptive. Although the results presented are encouraging, James Tsuruta and colleagues from the University of North Carolina are stalling hopes for a swift introduction of ultrasound prevention. Several points have yet to be clarified before thinking about human use. For example, according to the US researchers so far unclear whether the ultrasound waves may cause damage to sperm without killing them. This would significantly increase the risk of malformations in the offspring, according to the scientists. Furthermore, the researchers led by James Tsuruta explained that so far only in rats, the intensity, dosage and frequency of ultrasound treatment is scientifically proven. In other living things, a simultaneously safe but effective ultrasound treatment would have to be determined. (Fp)

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Image: Christoph Droste